The South Windsor Chamber of Commerce held its 46th Annual Dinner Meeting on Sept. 25. New officers were elected and William "Billy" Mitchell, founder of Environmental Services, Inc. (ESI) was honored as the 2014 Business Person of the Year. The event was held at Maneely's Banquet Hall in South Windsor. Executive Director of the SW Chamber of Commerce, Shari Fiveash, hosted the event which was sponsored by the American Eagle Credit Union and Hartford Hospital.

There was also the customary change in leadership within the Chamber. "Our mission is to engage members and the community in the pursuit of excellence and economic growth by fostering a collaborative business environment," said Amber Martin. Martin, who works at the Eastern CT Health Network (ECHN), is the newly-elected president of the Chamber and will take Julie Lapp's place.

"I hand you the reins of the South Windsor Chamber of Commerce," said Lapp, as she fought back tears. "Lead the Chamber with wisdom and integrity."

Martin was also emotional. "Julie stepped forward and provided great leadership," said Martin. "She has kept us moving forward, growing, changing and leading."

Other newly-elected officers for the Chamber Executive Committee include Elaine AbouAka of CENTURY 21 as treasurer, Ryan Nilsson of Geissler's Supermarket, Inc., who will be secretary, Hussam Saada of Precision Mortgage LLC serving as vice-president and Stacy Camiros of Webster Bank as president-elect.

Martin gave an updated report of the SW Chamber's strategic plan that was first presented at the 2011 meeting. Strides have been made in the area of business, industry and education, as the Chamber hosted "eight educational seminars and 38 networking events," said Martin. She noted that two new members of the Chamber's board of directors have backgrounds in manufacturing and teaching.

Community involvement has also seen an upswing during the past year. The Chamber hosted a Discover South Windsor Expo which was attended by more than 100 local businesses and organizations. Earlier this year, the Chamber also hosted the 7th Greater Hartford Women's Conference, and it will also host the conference again in March of 2015.

After the meeting concluded, retiring members John Zahner of Edward Jones Investments and Cary Prague of TicketNetwork were honored by the Chamber. Both received certificates of recognition for their work. Retiring member Cody Holmes of Hoyt Insurance will also receive a certificate of recognition, but wasn't able to attend the dinner.

Special attention was brought to Prague's 10 years of service to the Chamber. He was recognized by a slide show which followed a special prayer for Prague's health by John Mitchell which brought many attendees to tears.

"Thank you Cary for all you have done in our community and for the South Windsor Chamber of Commerce," said Lapp after the presentation.

Later Margaret Shea of Shea & Company Real Estate, LLC told the crowd light-hearted jokes about Business Person of the Year "Billy" Mitchell's past and showed pictures from his childhood before asking him to come forward to accept his award. Shea is the person who nominated Mitchell for the honor.

"This isn't the first time Billy's been recognized, and won't be the last," said Shea.

Mitchell founded ESI in 1991. The business is a hazardous waste management company that responds to chemical, oil emergencies, and other environmental issues 24 hours a day. The company is the largest privately-owned company of its kind in New England.

Mitchell was supported by his wife Carol and their five sons who were all raised in South Windsor where he and his wife still reside. Many of ESI's workers were in attendance, as well, to cheer on Mitchell who also acts as the fire commissioner for the South Windsor Fire Department. He has held the position since 1955.

"He's an integral part of the community," said state Rep. Bill Aman (R-14). He's a great guy that does a lot of behind the scenes work. He's joining a very elite group that he belongs to."